Five First Steps

At a recent workshop I was trying to express my desire to help people and said. “I want to help people take their first steps.”

Another participant looked confused, tilted his head and said, “I don’t understand. Do you mean divorce?”

Well, not exactly.

When I was finished writing this post yesterday it occurred to me that even though I knew what I was trying to say, I knew not everyone would. Again, someone would be asking, “The first, five steps for what?”

These are the first, five steps you need to take to change your life in a big way; in a way that will lead to success, fulfillment and joy.

How do I know?

Because, I have repeatedly tried to change my life in the past, to go after a big dream and to create a life that I loved… and failed repeatedly.

You can succeed in life and be happy without going through these first, five steps. I did, to a certain degree. I experienced a high degree of success, especially in my professional life, but somethings were missing like hope, joy and unconditional love.

When I talk about a life I love, I am not just talking about work and professional success. I am talking about a life filled with hope and happiness; a life where I look forward to getting up everyday; I life filled with passion and purpose; a life surrounded by people I love and respect and who feel the same way about me; a life filled with beauty and love.

But, it wasn’t until I dug a little deeper and took each one of these first, five steps that I began to experience these things, that my world began to open up.

Taking these first, five steps changed my life in so many ways. The vision I held for what my life could look like has became a reality and so much more.

I want the same thing for everyone. I want everyone to live a life overflowing with hope, joy and love. To live that life you have to take the first steps. And, these are the first, five steps I discovered to help both you and I, live that life.

The First, Five Steps to Changing Your Life

1. Have a dream or big goal; a vision of what you want your life to look like.

You really can’t take a first step unless you have some idea of where you want to go. You don’t have to have a specific destination in mind or a clear picture in the beginning, but you do have to have some idea of what you want and who you want to be.

2. Recognize, accept and honor your dream with a non-judgmental, open, loving heart.

Don’t let common sense, negative self talk, past experiences or hurts diminish what calls to you.

Just sit with your dream. Live with it. Embrace it with open arms and hold it tight.

3. Ask for help.

Sometimes, before you can move forward you have to deal with, or clean up, ‘stuff’ from the past (or present). It isn’t always easy and it isn’t always possible to do this on your own.

Asking for help can take the form of a 12-step program, working with a therapist or a life coach.

Remember, there is no timeline for this process. Be patient with yourself. Healing from the inside out takes time and all of us have some type of healing to go through before we can move forward.

4. Be willing to change and commit to a life-long journey of learning, self-discovery and self-development.

Just because you reached out for help and resolved some old issues doesn’t mean you are done. Following a dream and becoming who you were meant to be means a lifetime commitment to learning and growing.

This can be a fun and exciting journey if you approach it as an adventure.

5. Begin to build relationships and share your dream.

No one succeeds on his/her own. Read the acknowledgments in any book; listen to the speeches of award winners at the Oscars or listen to your favorite athlete or team after a national championship win and you will discover that they all have a long list of people to thank.

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you start, we all need support. But, you need to be careful who you share your dream with. It takes time to build new relationships and time to allow old relationships to expand to accommodate your dreams and who you are becoming. This process can be painful at times as you may have to let go of some relationships, but, in time, new ones will manifest.

These are the first, five steps that helped me begin moving in the direction of my dreams and the vision I held of the life I wanted. I am in no means done growing or exploring who I am and what I want, but without taking these first, five steps I wouldn’t be in a place where I could continue moving forward.

Sometimes the first, five steps can be the hardest, but once you start moving it gets easier.

A great post about the benefits of taking daily action was written by my friend and fellow blogger Ken Robert at MildlyCreative.com.

He always has some great insights and this post was especially insightful. These benefits are applicable to each of the five, first steps above and are a gentle reminder to stay on the path. Check them out at: http://www.mildlycreative.com/2009/11/do-something-daily-5-benefits-of-daily-action/

I hope that this post has been helpful. Leave a reply or email me at Sandy@TheDreamingCafe.com.
I’d love to hear from you.